The temperatures within a fan coil are commonly below the dew point of a room in which the air is being conditioned. Thus, in order to prevent "sweating" of the casing, it is common to provide insulation on the inner side of the casing and the doors. Such insulation is usually applied by way of an appropriate adhesive for securing the insulation to the walls and doors of the casing. Further, an adhesive is also commonly used to attach a foil facing to the inner side of the insulation.
It has been found that the insulation attached to the door of the blower compartment of a fan coil tends to be pulled away from the door by the negative pressure created by the blower fan and the high velocity air flow passing the insulation edge. This can occur in various degrees depending on the strength and effectiveness of the adhesives. That is, the inner foil may tend to separate from the insulation and if that occurs, the insulation blanket tends to delaminate. In either case, the foil and/or the insulation itself may be drawn into the blower so as to cause blower motor problems or air flow obstruction. Further, if the adhesion between the insulation and the sheet metal door is not adequate, entire sections of the insulation blanket may be pulled off by the negative pressure and drawn into the blower. Then, in addition to the problems discussed hereinabove, the sheet metal door is exposed to the cooler temperatures and "sweating" will occur, thus causing possible damage to the facility in which the system is installed.
Although changing from a pressure sensitive adhesive to thermal set adhesive has improved the adhesion, separation can still occur. The use of tape to secure the insulation in place is also a possible solution but has not been found to be a reliable fix.
Fasteners can also be used to secure the insulation to the door, but one must avoid the unnecessary compression of the insulation which will affect its performance. Further, one does not want to complicate the manufacturing process with the use of labor intensive fasteners.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved fan coil unit.
Another object of the present invention is the provision in a fan coil unit for an improved installation of insulation.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision in a fan coil unit for decreased damage due to unit "sweating" and insulation being pulled into the blower.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision in a fan coil for an improved method and apparatus for installing insulation in the blower door.
Those objects and other advantages become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.